Town Square

Teen Wire: A student's take on bigger classes, school budget crisis

Original post made
on Mar 1, 2010

Teen columnist Daniel Morizono talks about the difference smaller classes make in the ninth grade, based on his personal observations from when he was a freshman, [Web Link in his latest blog], on the school budget crisis. "Talking with some of the teachers and staff at my high school, I've come to realize just how complex our current financial situation is," he says.

Sending a boy to do your dirty work... eh unions? Oh and who is shocked that the student chosen to write supports union demands? Big surprise. I want to hear from the 90% of students who say they couldn't care less about class sizes

There's a bright idea. Let's let the students make decisions about education policy. They probably don't care about increasing class sizes. Hey, it's all good. Bigger classes mean less attention from teachers, more opportunity to fool around in class. Less homework, too! The more students they have, the less time the teacher has to grade each student's paper. There will be no way they can assign as much as they used to. Let's double, triple, class sizes! Who cares if anyone learns anything?

Hello! I'm not the one who dragged this kid out to parrot union talking points! I'm not the one who's referencing this kid as an anecdotal reason to keep CSR. The unionists are already referencing this kid as a personal witness to the greatness of CSR. I'm just saying let's have balance, or like you I don't really care what the kids say. This is a matter for adults to decide. Hello! Mcfly!

Posted by Amanda Nguyen
a resident of Danville
on Mar 1, 2010 at 7:51 pm

I am a student at SRVHS who is indifferent about class sizes, but why would any adult want students to not receive the attention they deserve? Sure, students can't exactly decide what happens about class sizes, but we are allowed to voice our opinions. If anything, we should have more say than the adults considering we are the ones sitting in the overcrowded classrooms, unable to get the attention we need to obtain a fulfilling education, not them. As for the students who want to slack off in school and get the least amount of attention possible from teachers, they should move over and allow the students who do care about their education to take charge of their futures.

Daniel and Amanda: Well put, both of you. The notion that students are bent on avoiding learning in the classroom has definitely not been the reality from my kids or their friends. They take the opportunity to secure their choice in a college very seriously and are painfully aware that their future depends not only on their grades, but also on how much they actually learn.

Please continue to voice your opinions - this forum can use a boost from levelheaded contributors such as yourselves.

Amanda, you have a reasonable way of expressing your thoughts that's far better than most of the adults in this town. Just know that my side of the debate is looking out for your best interests, regardless of what the unionists want you to believe.

And unionists, take note of how she's indifferent to class sizes. Her comment line for line should be abided, and it's a perfect prescription for ending CSR

Posted by Daniel Morizono
a resident of San Ramon Valley High School
on Mar 2, 2010 at 4:34 pmDaniel Morizono is a registered user.

When Amanda said, "If anything, we (students) should have more say than the adults..." she was really just referring to your abusive comments towards me, Gunslinger. A perfect prescription for ending CSR? That's not what she was talking about at all. She stated she was indifferent to the matter, so don't twist her words to your advantage. Basically, she told people like you to stop pretending you understand students' interests better than the students themselves. So if her "comment line for line should be abided" you should begin to take my views more seriously.

Posted by Daniel Morizono
a resident of San Ramon Valley High School
on Mar 2, 2010 at 4:56 pmDaniel Morizono is a registered user.

The slackers who want the least amount of personal attention from their teachers should move over for the students who care about the quality of their educations and are more likely to favor smaller classes. Even if Amanda is indifferent, she did make the connection between "overcrowded classrooms" and the inability to receive the attention necessary for a fulfilling education. Even if there are more slackers than good students in a school, the education system should support those students who actually want to be there and learn. That's what I read.

I read that the slackers won't care no matter how small the class so they shouldn't be catered to. If they're not, the teachers can pay attention to the motivated. Thus, no need for smaller class sizes if the teachers can just pay attention to those in their class who care

Posted by Resident 47 years
a resident of Danville
on Mar 2, 2010 at 5:10 pm

Amanda,

This so full of ambiguities! First you state you "are indifferent about class sizes", then you say the students who want to slack off in school should move over and allow the ones who do care to achieve and take charge of their future. Everyone agrees with that!!!

The students who do care will achieve regardless of the class size. The CSR has a way of manipulating this reasoning to make bullies out of anyone with any solution other than theirs.

Posted by Daniel Morizono
a resident of San Ramon Valley High School
on Mar 2, 2010 at 5:11 pmDaniel Morizono is a registered user.

Is it ethical for a teacher to give up on the unmotivated student? Is it ethical for a teacher to not help an unmotivated student write an essay, for example. I know many slackers who are also very intelligent. Should we raise class sizes In AP and honors classes where there are plenty of motivated students to be found?

Posted by Recent MVHS student
a resident of Alamo
on Mar 4, 2010 at 12:37 am

My experience was there were too many teachers keeping seats warm in the first place. With budget cuts inevitable, it is time to weed out the lazy (I realize with the cozy union tenure situation that this isn't always possible - it's time to improve tenure and civil service rules!). My teachers didn't particularly care what the class sizes were - a few students more or less never seemed to hurt class performance one way or another - what mattered more was parental involvement and ethnic background (yes, Asians are indeed higher achievers on average). Teachers used TAs to do most of the "work" anyway. And they usually regurgitated the same "lesson plans" year after year. Most of seat warmer types, er, teachers, would snooze thru class if they could. And high achievers didn't need any hand holding and the under achievers didn't care, so all the crock-odile tears about class sizes is a non-issue and a teacher union red herring.

And so, the real voice of the youth come out. These young people can write better than most of the adults in this community and I would dare say much better than the teachers. Wow, these kids are sharp

Oh and I found out from Hal Bailey that it wasn't a gun brought to school. It was a gumball container shaped like a gun. So no worries there. The kid I guess was actually making a conservative statement about the second amendment. Go kids!

LOL. The fact that the guy believes Hal Bailey's hyperbolic gumball thing is a testament to just how "connected" to the community gunslinger/rick really is. I am LMAO at the thought that this guy honestly believes he represents the majority. Rick you are Danville's answer to Sarah Palin. Do you write down what you're going to spew on your hand before you post?

Posted by I Know Rick
a resident of Danville
on Mar 4, 2010 at 12:28 pm

Actually I think Rick/Gunslinger posted the entry of "Recent MVHS student." Rick graduated from MVHS in the last 5-8 years and had a horrible high school experience. The language is very much Rick-ish. I don't think a current student would refer and opine this way about the teacher's union.

Since Rick has no job (he is an aspiring writer) and lives at home, he has a lot of time on his hands which is why he posts so frequently.

Pull it together Rick. Just admit that your bored and have nothing better to do with your time than rant and rave on a local forum. High School is over, why don't you join the ranks of adults now and do something constructive.

Ok, so I'm sorry I trusted Hal. Geez. I try to stand up for our kids, demanding answers about a gun incident at school. Then I dare trust Hal when he says it wasn't a real gun and you guys get mad at me. I'm not sure I understand why. Ok, so can someone clear up what happened. Can the media do it's job?! Is there any source of information we can trust?!

And no, that recent student was not me. I can't prove that obviously. But he or she knows they're not me. He/she knows they don't know me and, thus, they know you guys are morons

I'm not sure why you think you know what I do. I'm actually a trial lawyer, thank you very much. I have written books already, about law and history, that are bought everyday. No aspiration there. Just fact

Posted by I Know Rick
a resident of Danville
on Mar 4, 2010 at 6:42 pm

Gunslinger

Could you please give me the title of one of your books? I would like to read about what you have to say on history and law. Just one title. And maybe a store where I could find it or some search criteria for Amazon.

No. And just so you all know I'm not the guy who posts as Kai or the one who posts as Klaus. I was just making a point. When I post, I never try to convince people that I'm multiple posters to stack a thread. I know my words ring true to the community. I don't have to stack a thread.

Posted by jrm
a resident of Vista Grande Elementary School
on Mar 4, 2010 at 8:32 pmjrm is a registered user.

Just a question to Bullslinger, I mean gunslinger, I would also like to know the title of your book that is "read ever day" by legal professionals. Also, do you operate heavy machinery when not posting your diatribes? Too bad Ted Kaszinsky's cabin was demolished, you might be able to move right in and feel at home...

Posted by R.M.
a resident of Monte Vista High School
on Mar 5, 2010 at 7:22 am

I think that Daniel should be congratulated on a very thoughtful and well written article. I find his observations to be more pertinent and relevant than comments from adults in the community who have no first hand knowledge of what's going on in the schools. Daniel's reasoned and respectful tone is an excellent example to adults on these pages who resort to name calling and snide remarks. I respect him for standing up for what he believes in and letting his voice be heard at his relatively young age.

To SmacK et al. Teachers may not assign as much homework as in the past, because the school board revised the homework policy last year. The new policy restricts homework to 30 minutes per class per evening, and no homework on weekend or holidays (eg. Thanksgiving). Honors and AP classes were exempted from the new guidelines. The teachers strongly objected to and fought very hard against this policy but the district sided with a few parents who wanted more time to spend with their children on the activities of their choice.